"I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free" is a gospel/jazz song written by Billy Taylor and "Dick Dallas", best known for the recording by Nina Simone in 1967 on her Silk & Soul album. Billy Taylor's original version (as "I Wish I Knew") was recorded on November 12, 1963, and released on his Right Here, Right Now album (Capitol ST-2039) the following year. His 1967 instrumental take was later used as the theme music for the Film review programme series on BBC television.
Billy Taylor has explained: "I wrote this song, perhaps my best-known composition, for my daughter Kim. This is one of the best renditions I’ve done, because it is very spiritual."
The song served as an anthem for the civil-rights movement in America in the 1960s.
It was used as the theme for the 2004 Olympics, and as the music for Coca-Cola (2004, featuring Sharlene Hector of Basement Jaxx) and Swisscom (2012) commercials.
Other versions include:
The Derek Trucks Band (2004 and 2006 on the albums Live at Georgia Theater, Songlines and Songlines Live)
Solomon Burke (1968)
Ahmad Jamal (1968)
Illinois Jacquet (1968)
Denver, Boise & Johnson (1968)
The Smothers Brothers and Harry Belafonte, on Season Three of The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour (1968)
The Ray Charles Singers (1969)
Shirley Scott (1969)
Cold Blood (1969)
John Denver (1969)
Junior Mance (1969) on the album "Live at the Top"
Glenn Yarbrough (1970)
Albertina Walker (1970)
Doris (1970)
Air (1971)
Mary Travers (1971)
John Fahey (1973)
Johnny Pearson (1982) On the instrumental album On Golden Pond
Dionne Farris (B-side of the "I Know" maxi single) (1994), featured (as well as the Nina Simone version) on the soundtrack of the 1996 drama film Ghosts of Mississippi
Jools Holland (1997)
Leontyne Price (1997)
Marc Shaiman (1997)
Rob Agerbeek on the album Three of a Kind (1998)
Marlena Shaw (2000)
Lighthouse Family (as (I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be) Free / One, 2001)
Sharlene Hector (2004)
Martin Taylor (2005)
Irma Thomas (2006)
Human Highway (2008)
Levon Helm Band (2009)
Lucky Peterson (2010)
John Legend & The Roots (2010)
Emeli Sandé (2012)
Martin Taylor & Tommy Emmanuel (2013)
Mike Farris (2014) under the title "How It Feels to Be Free"
